Our Mission

I’ve spent my life working on environmental stewardship projects around the country. What I’ve found is place-based work yields strong results. Get the kids involved, because they’re the spark of life. Get families involved, because they live here. Get local officials and business involved, because conservation saves money and creates jobs. The Northwest Straits Foundation envisions a healthy, vibrant marine future connecting people to place, life to sustainability, and the future to those who follow. That’s why I’m here. To be part of the solution. To carry the relay of those who came before me to those I’ll never know.

I come full circle in the Northwest Straits Initiative, having spent six years managing programs for the Northwest Straits Commission and four on the Jefferson MRC. I'm a self-professed aficionado of sharks, natural history dioramas, and Washington wines, and previously spent more than a decade in the nonprofit sector, much of it as External Relations Director with Pacific Marine Conservation Council.  I am a passionate advocate for community-based conservation, and have served on a variety of regional advisory boards and committees. I hold extensive at-sea experience and studied marine sciences at Memorial University of Newfoundland and the University of Maine.

I come to the Northwest Straits Foundation with 25 years of experience in non-profit leadership and development.  Most recently, serving as Senior Director of Development for the Cascade Bicycle Club during their successful capital campaign.  Prior to Cascade, I got to know many of our partners serving as the Director of Development for Washington Environmental Council and Washington Conservation Voters.  A resident of the Northwest for more than two decades, my husband Max and I are avid cyclists who enjoy bike-camping at the glorious locations around the Salish Sea.  Tarrell loves meeting interesting people and looks forward to learning about the ecology of this beautiful region from people like you.

I manage shoreline restoration projects on behalf of the Foundation and MRCs, and I was formerly the Restoration Manager for the Washington State Department of Natural Resources. I've worked on restoration projects around the region and was key to successful implementation of the Northwest Straits Initiative's creosote debris removal program and an important partner on many nearshore projects.

I manage the Derelict Fishing Gear Program and Shoreline Restoration Monitoring. Prior to joining the Foundation, I worked for six years in commercial fisheries management, this helped me gain extensive field experience in the West Coast Groundfish Observer Program, and was a key component to the successful start of the IFQ Catch Monitor Program. In addition to a busy professional life, I'm an active volunteer devoting time to community outreach and environmental stewardship programs.

Proudly a Pacific Northwest native, I am a recent graduate of Western Washington University with a major in Geography/Social Studies, certification in Geographic Informational Systems (GIS) and a minor in Anthropology. At the Northwest Straits Foundation, I take on a variety of administrative duties, including managing multiple databases, fundraising support and project and grant support for the Foundation. I'm also our current GIS Technician working on maps to help tell the stories behind the projects here at the NWSF. I think being passionate about engaging people with their environment is integral to community building, place-making and sustainability. In my free time, I'll be out exploring the PNW, grabbing coffee at a local café or visiting my hometown of Port Townsend, WA.

A Maryland native, I moved to Western Washington in 2012 to pursue writing and a passion for the outdoors. In 2016, I graduated with a Bachelors of Arts degree in news/editorial journalism from Western Washington University. Since an early age, conservation and the upholding of wild places have been important to me. An avid skier, hiker and backpacker, the environment of Western Washington has provided recreational opportunity, peace of mind and refuge since I arrived in Bellingham. As communications specialist for the Northwest Straits Foundation, it is my job to inform the public of the work being done to protect and restore the Salish Sea.

I have my Bachelor of Arts from Western Washington University in Environmental Education and Communication. Originally from Colorado, my interest in environmental conservation started with a love of the mountains. In 2008, I moved to Bellingham, which is where I finished school and started exploring local conservation efforts.  Before the Northwest Straits Foundation, I was at the Marine Life Center in Bellingham, where I did  a variety of work including working with volunteers to manage databases and aquariums. Prior to that I worked in the funeral industry in promotion of restorative/natural burial practices. An avid sailor and diver, I also enjoy playing ukulele and traveling the globe in my spare time.